Yuya couldn't help feeling a bit helpless about Kushina's reaction—he knew she meant well.
But after all his explaining, she just wouldn't listen to a word.
In the end, Kushina, furious that he was so stubborn and dead set on going through with it, snapped that she wasn't going to care about him anymore and stormed out.
"..."
Yuya gave a dry laugh and shook his head as he watched her stomp off, steaming with anger.
He let his thoughts settle a bit.
After washing up and getting dressed, he stepped outside.
All of a sudden, it hit him—there was really no point in going to the ninja academy anymore.
In three months, he'd be in a life-or-death duel against Uchiha Han. Every second of those three months needed to be used for training. Sitting in class at the academy would be a complete waste of time.
Yuya thought it over and decided he'd go apply for an extended leave.
The problem was that his Chūnin instructor was the one who disliked him the most. Getting that leave approved might not be easy.
He frowned slightly at the thought, but whether they approved it or not didn't matter. He was just going there to inform them—he wasn't coming back either way.
When he got to the school, the other students weren't acting weird around him or anything.
They were just kids—they didn't fully grasp the gravity of the situation. They were just stunned and gossiping non-stop about the insane news that Yuya had challenged a Chūnin.
He headed straight for the Chūnin instructor's office.
Without hesitation, he walked right in.
And just like that, he ran into his instructor, Katono.
"Yuya?"
Katono looked at him, but the expression on his face was completely different than usual.
There was no scorn or disgust—instead, there was… something complicated.
Yuya was a bit puzzled by Katono's change in attitude. This guy had held a grudge ever since Yuya seriously injured Uchiha Izumi, and should've been punished harshly for it. Yet now, there was no hint of resentment?
Weird. But Yuya didn't dwell on it. Calmly, he stated that he was applying for a three-month leave.
After saying that, Yuya turned to leave—whether it got approved or not, he wasn't coming back.
But to his surprise, Katono actually patted him on the shoulder, looking somewhat sentimental, and nodded in agreement.
He agreed?! Just like that?!
Yuya's face lit up with disbelief.
Then he heard Katono muttering in a kind of venting, half-talking-to-himself tone.
"My teammate was killed by ninja from another village… that's why I've always had hostility toward you. But, you're actually a hardworking kid. If only you'd been born in Konoha…"
He trailed off with a sigh, patted Yuya's shoulder again, and walked past him.
"Anyway, go enjoy your three months."
Yuya just stood there, stunned, watching him walk out of the office.
Why did that sound so familiar?!
Then it hit him—that's exactly what that Anbu guy said too!!
Pft!
Yuya nearly coughed up blood.
Do these people all think I'm definitely gonna die?!
He left the office looking thoroughly annoyed.
As he slowly walked out of the academy, he tried to shake off the mental clutter.
Then he lowered his head and sank deep into thought.
To outsiders, he looked like someone who was completely broken—dead man walking. That only drew more pitying glances.
But in truth, Yuya was analyzing the final few questions left over from the night before.
He wouldn't waste a single moment.
If he could solve these last questions, then he was eighty percent sure he could develop the technique!
Eighty percent! That was a ridiculously high chance!
And once it was developed, Yuya was confident—beating Uchiha Han in three months would be totally doable!
He spent a long time working through the ideas. He solved one issue, but a few still remained unanswered.
Yuya decided to go back to Might Duy.
Sure enough, Duy was still in the woods training like always. Somehow, despite the whole village knowing about Yuya's challenge to Uchiha Han, Duy didn't know a thing. He just smiled brightly and waved at Yuya.
Of course. He really didn't mesh with anyone else in the village.
Yuya couldn't help wondering who Guy's mom even was, but this wasn't the time to get distracted. He cut right to the chase and presented his unresolved questions.
Might Duy went quiet and began pondering.
After a while, he answered a few of the questions. But the final one? He looked unsure.
Yuya and Duy discussed that last one over and over, working through all the possibilities, until they finally reached a conclusion.
And with that, the structure in Yuya's mind finally took form—he had outlined a full, refined training method.
It was the very technique he'd been aiming to create:
Reverse Gate Training—Eight Gates Edition!
Saying it out loud would probably blow a lot of minds. But Yuya's thinking had always been bold and unconventional—and more importantly, he dared to try it!
The heart is where power explodes from.
In the traditional method, the heart is the last gate—the final burst of life energy that leads to death.
But what if he strengthened himself starting from the heart? What if he used the heart to push energy through the rest of the body, unlocking each gate along the way?
Then maybe… he could eliminate the side effects.
Maybe… he could even achieve a permanent Eight Gates state!
Once he finished refining the training method, Yuya didn't hold anything back. He told Might Duy everything—exactly what he wanted to do.
"Reverse Gate Training?!"
The moment Duy heard it, his mind was blown. He stood there completely stunned.
He instinctively wanted to argue—but then he realized… Yuya had already considered practically everything.
It might… actually work!
In the end, Duy decided to support Yuya's plan.
Because to him, youth was meant to be spent charging forward!
Duy pointed out a few flaws in the plan and helped Yuya fix them.
And with that, the Reverse Gate Training method was finally complete!
Yuya didn't hesitate. He immediately began testing it out!
And Duy, of course, stood by him without a second thought, guarding him.
Might Duy was someone you could absolutely trust. With him watching over, Yuya could stay totally focused.
He started by activating all the blood vessels and energy channels in his body. Then he sat down cross-legged.
He cleared his mind, entering a state of pure focus.
"Start with the heart…"
He whispered to himself, pressing a thumb lightly to his chest.
Nothing happened.
Opening the heart as the first gate was totally different from opening it as the last.
Yuya frowned slightly.
"This path won't work… but there are other ways…"
He then tried blasting it open with chakra.
The Eight Gates technique frees the body from all its limits—essentially, it unbinds the flow of chakra.
But the chakra doesn't spill out of the body—it floods the inside, turning into a raging river that supercharges your physique.
Unfortunately, chakra was the thing Yuya struggled with most.
After a ton of effort, he finally managed to gather a small amount and direct it toward the gate at his heart.
But it was like a mayfly trying to shake a tree—absolutely useless.
Yuya started thinking—maybe even a Jōnin or a Kage's chakra wouldn't be enough to open the heart as the first gate!
No wonder in over a thousand years, the Eight Gates had always been opened forward—not one successful case of Reverse Gate Training.
Because the difficulty level was just insane. No one had ever pulled it off.
Yuya thought that, but the light in his eyes only burned brighter.
Just because no one else did it… doesn't mean I can't!
Because he had one more card to play—his Vibration Release Kekkei Genkai!
That was the true key to his plan.
"Power of vibration… activate! Shatter this damn lock!!"